Saudi Beheadings
By Jonathan Kuttab
Last week, we heard the sickening news of Saudi Arabia beheading 81 people in a single day, the largest mass execution in the kingdom’s history. The dead, the majority of whom were religious minorities, include 73 Saudi nationals, seven Yemenis, and one Syrian. Some of them were minors, one as young as 14, when they committed their alleged crimes.
While FOSNA usually concentrates on Palestine/Israel, it is also very concerned about human rights worldwide. Capital Punishment, the taking of human life by the state, is a violation of the Divine image within each of us, upon which our commitment to universal human rights is based. Even for horrendous crimes and after a proper trial (which was certainly not the case in Saudi Arabia), it is still abhorrent. We oppose it without qualification. Capital Punishment needs to be outlawed in the United States, as well, where it often targets the poor and the marginalized. The message of Jesus was universal in its love and care for all people. The sanctity of life must be upheld regardless of national borders, ethnicity, race, or creed.
As we note with pain and anguish the slaughter in Ukraine, we resonate with portions of the speech given by President Zelensky to the US Congress. We aspire, as he does, to a world where aggression by anybody is met with a firm, and hopefully nonviolent, response worldwide—a world where international institutions and worldwide solidarity is strengthened and a prompt, strong response maintains peace.
Sabeel believes in the power of nonviolence. The response to evil must not be further violence and bloodshed but a determined effort to isolate the aggressor and impose Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) that target the offending leaders, not the ordinary people. We acknowledge that we live in a broken, fallen world and aspire to see “God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This cannot be achieved by ever-greater violence in opposing and confronting evil but through defeating evil by naming it, isolating it, shaming it, and organizing worldwide opposition to it in the name of a better international order.
Nowhere is that more needed than in Palestine.
We do not promote greater violence against the occupiers. We do not plead for more weapons to enable Palestinians to fight their oppressors, but for solutions based on acknowledging the common humanity of even the oppressor. Yet, we also call for firm, effective sanctions and measures to bring about a more just reality.
Whether in Saudi Arabia, the Ukraine, or Palestine/Israel, our message is consistent. We seek justice, peace, human dignity, and democracy for one and all. Is this idealistic? Of course it is. The message of Jesus was not an easy one, but it is one full of hope and promise of the ultimate victory of good over evil, of the coming of the Kingdom of God heralded by Jesus’ resurrection, and of his call for all of us to start living now by the standards of the Kingdom of God. It is a hopeful message that we must proclaim in this evil-filled world.
News & Announcements
FOSNA invites you to join us in the following events and activities:
March 19: A Discussion with Palestinian Peacemaker Jonathan Kuttab. Join The Common Humanity Peace Chanel on Saturday, March 19, at 1 pm Eastern time, for a discussion with Palestinian Peacemaker Jonathan Kuttab. Registration required for this half-hour program. Common Humanity is a non-profit organization based in New York City which seeks to build understanding, respect, and friendship with the Middle East and Muslim world.
March 21: APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA! APARTHEID ISRAEL! Ticking the Boxes of Occupation and Dispossession. FOSNA is a proud co-sponsor of the ICMEP interview with South African author Rev. Brian Brown. His book considers how the policies of the State of Israel, in violently dispossessing Palestinians of their land, nationality, and human rights, replicates policies of South Africa’s era of Grand Apartheid. In both comparative terms and in regard to international law, Israel has become an Apartheid regime, engaging in crimes against humanity.
March 27: Israeli Apartheid, Pittsburg Responds. We are very excited to announce a new event from FOSNA Pittsburgh, a Panel Discussion on the Amnesty International Report “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity.” Panelists include Soheir Assad, Diana Buttu, Jeff Halper, and Jonathan Kuttab. It promises to be a very illuminating conversation.
Weekly
Kumi Now! Connecting activists around the world every Tuesday with the organizations working on the ground in Palestine and Israel to bring a just and lasting peace based on international law and nonviolence.
Week 11: Olives. Palestinians in the occupied territory face rampant destruction of their olive trees and livelihoods. As more trees are uprooted and burned by settlers and Israeli occupation forces, brave farmers work to replant and undo the damage. However, their resources are stretched thin and livelihoods and traditions are at stake. Here’s what you need to know and what you can do so that together we can help Palestinian farmers rise up.
Palestinian Innovators Series: Dr. Anton Khalilieh. Dr. Khalilieh is the executive director of Nature Palestine Society, an environmental NGO that aims to research, protect, conserve, and educate about nature, biodiversity, and environment in Palestine. He holds a PhD in ecophysiology, ornithology, and nature conservation.
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.